Saigo no Yakusoku
by Archica
Summary: CloudxYuffie bittersweetness. Cloud is leaving after spending two weeks in Wutai.


  


This is my first FF7 fic. It was inspired from a Marmalade Boy insert song by the same title, which translates to "Final Promise". I really recommend downloading the song, as it's one of the most beautiful songs I've heard in a while. Story is told in first-person, Yuffie's POV. Enjoy. 

Damn this rain. It's too cold, too wet, too harsh. How can we have a decent conversation in weather like this? Funny that I never noticed how annoying the rain could be before now. 

Cloud pretends not to notice. Of course, a cool-natured guy like him wouldn't let on that a few drops of water are bothering him. He just stands there in his usual way, sharp spikes of yellow hair becoming dull under the dampness of the air. His eyes are downcast. "So," he says casually, the coolness of his voice sending a shiver down my dripping back, "I guess this is goodbye." 

I don't speak for a few moments. The silence is oddly comforting. Damn him for this. Damn me for allowing it. What am I supposed to say? "I guess so." 

"Look, Yuffie….." 

I look at him sharply. Suddenly his voice has failed him. "Don't make any excuses. At least do me that favor." 

Silence again. He nods and looks at the now wet ground. I swear I hate the rain now. I hate the way it feels on my skin. I hate the sound of the drops splashing against the dirt, making it soft and unsteady beneath my feet. I feel like I'm in a boat in the middle of the ocean, lost and swaying into uncertain depths. The lighthouse is right in front of me, but no matter how hard I paddle, I can't make it there. I can't make it to shore. 

"Are you going to say goodbye?" he asks. 

"No." I respond flatly. "I can't do that." 

He adjusts his pack on his shoulder and turns his back to me. He glances at me over his shoulder. "I've got to get going; make it to the next village before the rain gets worse." 

"Yeah. Don't want you to get soaked." I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm. The truth is that I really don't want him to stay out here any longer than he has to. I don't want him to get sick. 

"Yuffie, don't be that way. You know I have to go." 

"Yeah. I know. You better be off then." 

He nods and starts to walk away. A million emotions race to my brain. I want to call out to him, to beg him to stop. I want him to come back and tell me he loves me, the way I love him. But it wasn't like that and I know it. It was a physical thing, at least to him. It was a fling, nothing more. 

I was waiting for him to promise me he'd be back. I was waiting for that last promise, one that for once, wouldn't be broken. I didn't even get a "See you later!" All I got was a hurried sayonara. "When will we see each other again?" is what I should have asked. 

Damn it, I should tell him how I feel! I should yell to the top of my lungs "I love you, Cloud!" But he's already disappearing over the hill. His back is already fading. If I stop him now, he'll just be delayed further. I can't stop him in the rain like this. He'll get sick for sure. 

Why didn't I tell him before? I had plenty of chances, but everytime his face stopped me. There was no love on his face for me, only a passing infatuation. At first, that's all I had for him. But I couldn't stop there. No, I couldn't just enjoy it while it lasted. I had to want more. I had to want his heart. But we don't always get what we want. 

This is probably the last time I'll ever see him. He stayed in Wutai for only a couple of weeks, but it felt like forever. I know he's on his way back to _her_, the one he really loves. The one he grew up with. The one he promised to protect. Why couldn't I have his promise? 

He's gone now. I can't even see the tips of his hair. Our moments together were wild and fleeting and passionate. But now they only exist in my memory, forever sketched along the walls of my heart. The one I love is gone, and he'll never know how I felt. I kept my silence all this time, to protect him. I didn't want him to have to contradict his feelings for _her_. I didn't want him to feel awkward around me. I didn't want him to be confused. I didn't want him to get sick in the rain. It was all for him. 

But look where it's gotten me. I protected my lover but I'm left alone. I try to take comfort in the fact that he'll be happy, but how is that possible if he'll be happy with another woman? If I can't do it though, does it mean that I didn't really love him at all? My heart is confused and my head is aching. I don't know what to do. 

Finally I squat down and poke at the mud with an outstretched hand. The rain is still falling, and it's getting heavier by the minute. Somehow, it's not so bothersome now. In fact, it feels good against my skin. The cold droplets send chills across my body, taking my mind off the pain in my heart. I sit out here for the rest of the day, even when the rain gets so hard that I think I might drown. What better way to drown my sorrows? 

Eventually the rain stopps, stripping me of the only comfort I had left. Now all that's left is the pain, and the loneliness. He's gone. The rain is gone. There's nothing left to prove that he was even here. But I don't want this to be another memory. I'm not ready to store it in some hidden compartment of my mind. I'm not ready to let go. I know that as soon as I turn around and walk back to my home, it's over. This scene in my life, and my relationship with Cloud, has ended. I want this moment to last forever, so I won't be forced to move on. 

But then again, we don't always get what we want. Time carries on. The world keeps spinning. The rain will fall again. Promises will be broken, or never made at all. 


End file.
